How to Study 1.

2.
3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

Take good notes
a. Use an Outline format
b. Listen for key points
c. Listen for key words
d. Stay alert (and awake)
e. Don’t try to write down every word
f. Sketch visuals, but don’t worry about every little detail
Go over your notes soon after class to fill in gaps
NEVER miss class the day before a test or quiz!
Establish a standard time for studying
a. Don’t choose a time when you are likely to be tempted by other distractions.
b. Choose a time when you will be mentally alert
c. Be aware of potential disruptions
Choose a good location for studying.
a. Be sure you have enough space.
b. You need comfortable places to work.
c. Your study area should be quiet.
Read for content using a systematic approach
a. SQ3R
Survey – Skim the section headings in the chapter. Glance at the first sentence of each paragraph.
Question – Create questions about the key points in the chapter.
Read – Read the chapter with the questions in mind. Take notes in the margins or on note cards as you read each section. Remember to also read handouts and online materials.
Recite – Repeat the questions and answers to yourself. Some people need to do this out loud.
Review – Go over the chapter from your notes more than once as needed to be sure that you understand the key concepts.
Use gimmicks to help you memorize:
The next couple of pages contain descriptions of some useful memory gimmicks!

Memory Gimmicks
An acronym is an invented combination of letters. Each letter is a cue to, or suggests, an item you need to remember.
PEMDAS, sequence in solving or evaluating math equations
Parenthesis | Exponents | Multiplication | Division | Addition | Subtraction
ROY G. BIV, the colors of the visible spectrum
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
IPMAT, the stages of cell division
Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telephase
An acrostic is an invented sentence or poem with a first letter cue:
The first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember.
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS, above)
Sequence in solving or evaluating math equations
Parenthesis | Exponents | Multiplication | Division | Addition | Subtraction
Every Good Boy Does Fine
An acrostic for remembering a sequence of musical notes (G­clef notes on sheet music)­­E, G, B, D, F
Rhyme­Keys: (for ordered or unordered lists)
First, memorize key words that can be associated with numbers.
Example: bun = one; shoe = two, tree = three, door = four, hive = five, etc. Create an image of the items you need to remember with key words.
Four basic food groups­­ diary products; meat, fish, and poultry; grains; and fruit and vegetables
Think of cheese on a bun (one), livestock with shoes on (two), a sack of grain suspended in a tree (three), a door to a room stocked with fruits and vegetables (four)

The Method of Loci: (for approximately twenty items)
Select any location that you have spent a lot of time in and know well.
Good for kinesthetic learners!
Imagine yourself walking through the location, selecting clearly defined places­­the door, sofa, refrigerator, shelf, etc. Imagine yourself putting objects that you need to remember into each of